The British TikTok star, who shares stories of Benidorm, including the nightlife, the food and the expat community, says the budget friendly Spanish resort, with its skyscraper penthouses and golden beaches, is a holiday playground to rival Dubai.
I don’t know about that. But I do know where I’d rather be.
I’ve always been fascinated by ‘Beni’. Maybe it’s because as a kid I thought Costa package holidays looked glamorous, or maybe it’s because Channel 5’s Bargain Brits in Benidorm is one of my guilty pleasures. But I never had a burning desire to go there. I’m a city break girl – museums, cathedrals, guided tours. Benidorm looked a bit naff for my liking.
It was my sister, Sophie, who talked me round. She went to Benidorm a couple of years ago with her partner, who knows the resort well as he’s been on golf trips out there. Not initially keen, she reluctantly agreed to a short break – and was pleasantly surprised. “It’s very clean,” she said. “And the old town is lovely. We should go!”
It snowballed into a family trip and this month me, Sophie, her two sons, our brother and his daughter found ourselves on the famous Benidorm Strip, clinking cold beers.
We flew with Jet2 from Leeds Bradford Airport to Alicante. We’d been warned to expect long passport queues, but all went smoothly. The facial and fingerprint scanning system, now mandatory for non-EU citizens, was straightforward and staff were on hand to help. Taking only hand luggage, we were soon through.
Benidorm is about a 40-minute drive from the airport. The iconic skyline is dominated by the M-shaped Intempo – a 47-floor apartment tower, a shimmering landmark on the Mediterranean coast and the fifth tallest building in Spain.
We stayed in Airbnb apartment in Rincon de Loix at the northern end of Levante Beach. Five minutes walk from the beach, with a sea view from the balcony, the apartment was in a peaceful residential complex with shops and bars nearby. Around the corner was Neptune’s, famous as the bar in ITV comedy Benidorm. Not far off is the Sol Pelicanos hotel (the ‘Solano’) where the show was filmed.
A trip to Beni isn’t complete without a drink or two in Neptune’s (Morgan’s Tavern in real life) where tribute acts take to the stage.We had a great time – where else can you see Michael Jackson, Queen and Liam Gallagher in one night? And Elvis at nearby Talk of the Coast. Neptune’s is smaller than it looks on telly, but it has a great atmosphere.
The Strip is classic ‘Brits Abroad’, with lively bars, Sunday roasts, garish gift shops and endless footie on giant TV screens. ‘Bad Girls Go to Benidorm’ it said on a row of T-shirts. I can’t repeat what was on the other T-shirts.
Bars include the Red Lion and the Rover’s Return. There’s a bucking bronco or two. And I lost count of the times I heard Proud Mary belted out from a karaoke bar. It’s what you expect in Benidorm, and we found the vibe friendly and relaxed. I wouldn’t fancy it in peak season, but at this time of year it was fine.
The promenade is more refined and we spent a pleasant, leisurely morning wandering along there to the old town. Again, it felt relaxed and pleasant, with Spanish locals mingling among the tourists. We stopped off at the Balcón del Mediterráneo – the castle viewpoint – between Levante and Poniente beaches, with panoramic views of the coast. The remains of a medieval wall are all that’s left of the ancient fortress on the site.
The old town is charming; winding cobbled streets with tapas bars, traditional white houses, boutique hotels and pretty shops.
If you’re ever in this historic quarter, be sure to visit Excalibur, tucked away down Travesía San Miguel, near the Church of San Jaime. It’s a tiny bar, very ‘spit and sawdust’ and delightfully eccentric. There was a warm welcome from owner Jaume, who chatted away to us – “Bradford! Smokie! Chris Norman!” – while serving up beers and a jug of sangria. Jaume is a proper character; he had us in stitches with his random stories. He may or may not be Mick Jagger’s son, he told us. “I got the moves,” he said, pulling off an impressive pout. He plays great music too.
He handed out business cards and took a photo of us for his Facebook page (“Lovely family from Manchester”). Excalibur was a highlight of our trip; we loved it so much we went again. Jaume was serving his legendary tapas to a couple from Preston.
We ate well in Benidorm, especially at Amigos Restaurant and Roof Terrace, where we enjoyed a slap-up Mediterranean dinner. Excellent food and service. Even the street food was good – generous pizza slices soaked up our cocktails on the Strip. Overall, it was a great place for an inter-generational family trip, just having a laugh together. I liked the mix of high-rise resort and old town charm.
After exploring and browsing, we relaxed on the beach. “Dad, Dad, can we go to the beach?” pleaded the young lad on TV’s Benidorm. “No son, we’re stopping ‘ere – it’s inclusive!” came the reply. Inclusive or not, if you’re in Benidorm you must visit the beautiful Levante and Poniente beaches. It was too cold for a dip in the sea, but the sand was soft and the beaches are well looked after.
I once interviewed Derren Litten, creator of ITV hit Benidorm. The premise was simple: An array of Brit holiday-makers spend their days round the Solana pool and nights knocking back cheap booze and singing karaoke. The show ran for 10 series and inspired many people to visit the Costa resort. Derren told me he saw Benidorm as the ‘Northern Disneyland’. “I’d never been to Benidorm when I first wrote the show,” he said. “This show is my love letter to the resort.”
Now I too have fallen for Benidorm’s charms. Is it the new Dubai? Hardly. And it’s all the better for it.